As the third daughter of a third daughter, dragon-shifter Christine Drachen must mate with a human. Not all human males are genetically compatible with dragon shifters, and suitable matches are rare in old Charleston. Christine, though, has identified James to be an appropriate match. Even humans who acknowledge the possibility of dragons cannot believe that one can be both a dragon and a human, … human, shifting between the two. As a result, Christine must attract James without fully revealing her true, shifting nature until they have committed to mate. Christine shows James the gold dragon she always wears around her neck. He notices the prints, statues, and tapestries of dragons that decorate her family’s home. Strange noises emanate from behind the Drachens’ house during a party, and James believes he actually sees a dragon, one wearing a necklace like Christine’s. Christine’s last name, Drachen, means “dragon,” and, while she jokes her entire family is composed of the creatures, James begins to suspect there is more to what she says than a simple attempt at humor. Finally, he sees her shift. To protect their species from persecution, dragon-shifters silence any human who sees one of them shift, and the most practical method is generally death. The rule is absolute. But Christine has fallen in love with James. How can she protect her family without killing the boy she loves?Dragon Mist is a story of boy-meets-girl, with a few non-human characters, high stakes, a bit of magic, a little humor, and an abundance of romance. One-click it today!
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This story was enjoyable. Christine experienced some bad situations but knew what she wanted. James was smart but willing to accept things beyond his understanding. There was a lot of back and forth emotionally as these two young people figured out their paths. I felt at times that there was a little too much repetition of rules regarding the drache, but the rest of the story kept me reading.
I received a copy of this story through Goddess Fish Promotions, and this is my unsolicited review.
I have read several of Burnett’s previous books, including: Just Three Dates, Once and Future Wife, and Money or Men. This was quite a shift from what I’m used to expecting from his books — literally – you know, since it’s a book about shifters! We meet Christine Drachen, who is a dragon-shifter, and because of her birth order, she’s expected to find a suitable human to reproduce with and preserve the tradition. I loved her journey as a flower child because it was so far out of the norm for her family’s traditions. Reminded me of how so many of us have to blaze our own trails, only to re-center and return back to our “normal” path of life. Even though our families have traditions, each generation gets a chance to make an imprint on the way it continues. Christine was such a strong young woman whom I connected to as she pursued her own path. As a dragon-shifter, if humans see the shift take place, they are required to kill them. She finds the human that she believes is meant to be mate; but he sees her shift, putting his life in danger. Is the risk of his secret knowledge worth trusting and building a life together — or must she make the ultimate sacrifice of his death to preserve their family secret? The storyline is quite a bit out of my “normal” reading range, but I was whisked away into a new mindset with Dragon Mist! Highly recommended!
I have volunteered to share my review and all the opinions are 100% my own.
This is considered a paranormal romance–and with a kind of fanciful twist.
It seems there is a species that have both human and dragon genes–and they can shape shift at will. Unfortunately if anyone sees them shape shift that person must be killed
Christine took a couple of months off and went to San Francisco, lived in a commune and generally acted like a hippie. She did have to get home in quite a hurry—but she kept changing her name and where she was from so nobody woukd be able to know she had done this–especially her father! At one of the peace rally’s she is helped by James–then bumps into him again once she has returned home. They form a friendship-but James has no idea that Christine is part dragon!
Christine falls in love with James and wants him as her mate–
Well–James still doesn’t know what Christine is—but he will find out soon enough!!
This fantastical journey into the paranormal will keep you reading and guessing and sometimes gasping–but I think you will enjoy every second of it as I did.
Dragon Mist by David Burnett is a paranormal story with a twist. I will not go into the details as to what makes this different from all the other paranormal stories I have read. However, this much I will say; it was an interesting, suspenseful and adventurous story.
The hero and the heroine are as different as night and day. Yes, Christine is a dragon shifter and James is human, but their differences goes beyond their physical appearances. Their personalities are so far apart, one wonders what could attract these two each other. They gave credence to the term opposites attract. James was painfully shy and lived a sheltered life while Christine was free spirited and adventurous.
The story began in San Francisco, where we see Christine living a communal lifestyle for the summer. However, after finding herself in a dangerous position she journeyed back home. During her journey, she met James who rescued her from arrested by the police. The moment his hands came in contact with her body, she recognized he may just be a potential mate. To confirm if this so he would need to be willing to touch her intimately.
When I first started reading, I was thinking this book is not for me. However, the more I read the more involved I became in the events as they unfolded. There were moments throughout the story where I found myself chuckling.
I found the author’s take on the dragon species interesting. Their view of humans is unflattering, but it does not stop them from mating with one if they have to. Christine is the third daughter of a third daughter; therefore, she is required to mate with a specific human. If a human should see them shift, the poor soul faced certain death.
I found the romance lacking. The author spoke of connection between James and Christina, but I did not feel this chemistry. He rescued her; they hung out a few times, and she gave him a partial glimpse into her world but it was not enough to convince me they were in love. The suspense and the fantasy more than made up for the lack of romance.
Although I had a great time with the story, I found the buildup the end disappointing. It felt rushed and it could have done with further development.
Conclusion/Recommendation
Despite the issues I had with romance or lack thereof and the build up to the ending, I still found this to be an enjoyable read. Fans of fantasy and the young adult genre will enjoy this unique tale.
Dragon Mist is the first book by David Burnett that I have read, and I wouldn’t usually pick up this type of book to read, but I am really glad I did.
The book is about Christine Drachen, a girl who is free spirited, but hiding a secret. She is a shape shifter, her alter none other than a beautiful dragon. However, Christine needs to find herself a mate, a one which is suitable for her kind. She senses who she may be compatible with, and finds an unlikely zing from James.
James is unlike most of the boys Christine knows, he finds her attractive, however she also makes him nervous. He is not used to interacting with females, but there’s something about Christine that draws him in.
Christine needs to work out whether he is her true mate, without giving him the full details of herself, as if she does… the usual punishment for revealing your animal self to humans is death, and Christine does not want that outcome for James.
I was hooked on this book from the first few pages. I thought it was clever how you first learn of her secret, and I was completely taken to another realm through Burnett’s descriptions.
Christine is relatable, and she is a good strong main character. I found it easy to like her and James is a total sweetheart.
I also enjoyed the elements of the story such as their heritage, and how their last name means ‘Dragon’, an obvious clue for something they’re attempting to hide. Her family dynamic is intriguing and I loved delving into this unusual and addictive world.
It was well-written and unique to me, and I found it an enjoyable read. I am glad I broke away from my usual reads to give it a try, as now I want to explore this genre more.
I would recommend this book to lovers of paranormal romance, or a reader wanting to break from their usual genre. An ideal read for those who love action and a sweet romance.
Christine Drachen took the summer off and secretly spent it in San Francisco as a wild, free-spirited flower child. While there, a situation arose that caused her to show her true dragon form. Luckily, she had used a fake name and background, so she was able to flee back home and leave her summer of love behind. Now, back home in Charleston, she meets James Barringer and hopes to have a future with him. But before she can condition him to accept her dragon lifestyle, her past catches up with her.
This was an exciting and adventurous read. I liked the supernatural aspect of the story as well as the interaction of the characters. This story showed a different style of writing for Mr. Burnett and I’m delighted with that. I thoroughly enjoyed the story.
I have read several of David Burnett’s previous books, and this one is different to the others. Dragon Mist is a fantasy/paranormal tale about a dragon-shifter named Christine Drachen, who must mate with a human, though she needs to find one that is suitable and there is a catch – if any human see’s her shift into dragon form they need to be killed in order to protect there secret.
Christine is the 3rd daughter of a 3rd daughter and according to Drachen tradition she is expected to mate with a human, bare children and mix the gene-pool up a little, but before this happens Christine takes herself off to San Fransico for a few months and became a flower child. She only returns when she accidentally kills a man who forced himself upon her making her shift into dragon form.
Once she returns she meets and feels that jolt of electricity with a human called Jason and wonders if he could be the one to mate with, but little did she know she would actually develop feelings for him. Her father see’s it a means to an end but for Christine, she cant help but fall in love.
This was a interesting take on a shifter book, and I loved the Drachen history and traditions. Can love prevail for Christine and Jason or will her dragon tendencies be too much for him? You will have to read the book to find out!
4 stars
I am a fan of David Burnett but this is the first paranormal book by him and I was intrigued at how he would take his talent of writing books that I cannot put down into this genre. It was unique and interesting to see his take on the world of dragon-shifters. He took an 18 year old who should be enjoying life as a teenager before she has to grow up and brought her into a world where at 18 you find your mate, a person who will accept you as a dragon shifter and understand that it is a secret that must be kept.
Christine knew what was expected of her as the third daughter and was willing to do what was needed but I liked that she was doing it on her terms. She didn’t just accept that Richard was the right person for her, she found someone who she cared about, who she loved and hoped that James would be able to understand the world that she came from. James kept things interesting. I think he had a case of the brain knew more that it could make sense with and it took time for him to put the clues together. He was careful with passing judgement and he investigated that clues as they were given to him. I liked that he didn’t run away nor did he just accept all that was thrown at him. He trusted his gut, loved Christine, and worked through his doubts asking the right questions.
Dragon Mist in an interesting take on dragon-shifters in the real world and how one girl keeps with traditions of that world while making her life her own.